Reservoir napkin manufacturing process

ABSTRACT

This invention teaches a new menstrual napkin embodying multiple ply tissue paper sheet lying coplanarly adjacent and forming an absorptive section. The absorptive section has a multiple, spaced pattern of coaxially concentric opening, in at least an appreciable fraction of the multiple plies of tissue paper, forming reservoir for the menstrual fluid volume prior to absorption of the fluid by the tissue paper. A pair of mounting and securing openings are provided, one at each opposed end of the napkin which pierces all layers of the napkin and is suitable for adaptively securing the napkin to a sanitary napkin support belt.

July 31, 1973 J. L. JONES, SR

RESERVOIR NAPKIN MANUFACTURING PROCESS Original Filed July 5, 1968 United States Patent M US. Cl. 156-268 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention teaches a new menstrual napkin embodying multiple ply tissue paper sheets lying coplanarly adjacent and forming an absorptive section. The absorptive section has a multiple, spaced pattern of coaxially concentric openings, in at least an appreciable fraction of the multiple plies of tissue paper, forming reservoir for the menstrual fluid volume prior to absorption of the fluid by the tissue paper. A pair of mounting and securing openings are provided, one at each opposed end of the napkin which pierces all layers of the napkin and is suitable for adaptively securing the napkin to a sanitary napkin support belt.

This application is a divisional application of Ser. No. 742,922, filed July 5, 1968, now Pat. No. 3,593,717.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Menstrual fluid is commonly absorbed by commercial sanitary napkins having a relatively thick mass (about inch thick) of low density, fluffy, bleached wood pulp. The napkin is typically about 8 /2 inch long x 2 /2 inch wide, and the low density wood pulp pad is held together as a coherent mass by a shaping, exterior layer of an open network gauze or scrim material. The gauze or scrim material is also formed into tab extensions at the elongated napkin ends, forming tab securing means for attaching the napkin to a sanitary napkin support belt.

This invention provides a sanitary napkin with a reservoir capacity for menstrual fluid. The napkin is more compact than the prior art and greatly decreases menstrual fluid leakage problems. Further, this invention provides a simple and very cheap slotted napkin support means, which is particularly useful in adaptively securing the napkin to a sanitary napkin support belt.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to my copending US. patent application titled Menstrual Napkin and Its Manufacturing Process, Ser. No. 720,500, now Pat. No. 3,532,097; my US. patent application titled Reticulated Paper Tampon, Ser. No. 720,501, now Pat. No. 3,610,243; my US. patent application titled Sanitary Belt, Ser. No. 720,- 502, now abandoned, all filed Apr. 11, 1968; and my US. patent application titled Santary Napkin, ser. No. 675,556, now Pat. No. 3,512,530.

This improvement in menstrual napkin modifies my earlier teaching of a multiplicity of tissue paper sheet layers bonded together in coplanarly adjacent plies. I now teach forming a multiplicity of spaced, patterned coaxially concentric openings, in at least an appreciable adjacent fraction of the coplanar multiple plies of tissue paper. The concentric openings cooperatively with a bottom ply form a multiple of fluid reservoirs into which menstrual fluid can surge, when it gushes or spurts from the vagina in an uneven flow rate. The few cubic centimeters in a gush can then be absorbed by the surround ing multiple plies of tissue paper sheets.

3,749,627 Patented July 31, 1973 A pair of slot openings are placed one opening at each of the opposed obtuse tapered ends of my menstrual napkin taught in my application Ser. No. 720,500. The two openings pierce all tissue paper plies and the final exterior impermeable plastic film membrane. One of my sanitary belts taught in my application Ser. No. 720,502 can be used to support this improved napkin by separately threading the front and rear support straps, through the napkin slot openings pulling the napkin into a functional position with the straps. Then, each support strap is adhesively secured to itself, providing a napkin tightly positioned for functional use. Likewise, my other sanitary belt modification utilizing one support strap can be used by threading the one longer support strap through both slot openings and along the exterior impermeable membrane face of the napkin, finally to be secured to the waist belt, as also taught in my copending patent application, Ser. No. 720,502.

Included in the objects of my invention are:

First, to provide an inexpensive, dry, single use, multiple ply tissue paper menstrual sanitary napkin having reservoirs for menstrual fluid.

Second, to provide a dry, single use, multiple ply tissue paper menstrual napkin having a pair of simple securing openings, one opening at each end of each napkin.

Third, to provide a manufacturing process for an improved menstrual napkin, forming reservoir capacity for menstrual fluid in said napkin.

Other objects and advantages of this invention are taught in the following description and claim.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The description of this invention is to be read in conjunction with the following drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of one modification of the improvement in menstrual napkin.

FIG. 2 is an elevation view through 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an elevation view through 33 of FIG. 1, illustrating One modification of the menstrual fluid reservoir.

FIG. 4 is an elevation view of another modification of the menstrual fluid reservoir, shown in an elevational sectional view similar to FIG. 3.

FIGS. 5a, 5b and 5c illustrate in plan view other geometrically shaped menstrual fluid reservoir openings.

FIG. 6 illustrates in plan view still another modification applied to the menstrual napkin of my US. patent application, Ser. No. 720,500, and embodying new multiple menstrual fluid reservoirs.

FIG. 7 is an elevation view through 77 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a frontal elevational view of one modification of the improvement in reservoir menstrual napkin in functional position on a female torso, utilizing the napkin securing openings in conjunction with my sanitary napkin support belt of US. patent application, Ser. No. 720,502.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1 in detail, a menstrual sanitary napkin 1 is shown in plan view and it embodies an absorptive section 4, having an obtuse diamond planar shape area taught in my US. patent application Ser. No. 720,- 500. The absorptive section 4 comprises a multiplicity of tissue paper sheets, coplanarly, adjacently laid together. A pair of oval, slot shaped, securing openings 5 are shown, one placed at each tapered napkin end and located symmetrically across the line of center 22. The pair of openings 5 extend completely through the napkin 1 structure. The pair of adhesive plug bonding means 6, as earlier taught in my above numbered patent application,

extend tthrough and secure together the multiple ply of tissue paper sheets of absorptive section 4. The multiple menstrual fluid reservoirs 9 are shown arranged in a pattern array adapted to confront the vaginal opening, and to catch and receive the fluid as it flows from the opening. The reservoirs 9 are circular openings in the multiple ply of tissue paper sheets, of size diameters as required for the napkin utility.

More construction detail of my improvement in menstrual napkin 1 are shown in the cross sectional view of FIG. 2. The napkin 1 has an absorptive section 4. The pair of napkin securing openings 5 pierce completely through all layers of the napkin 1, providing a pair of oval slot shaped mounting openings, through which the napkin 1 can be attached to a sanitary napkin support belt. The two adhesive plug bonding means 6 are shown extending through the multiple ply of tissue paper sheets, from exterior napkin surface 10 through the thin, flexible, impermeable plastic membrane film 11. An interface bond means 12 secures the absorptive section 4 and the impel" meable membrane film 11 together. The bond means 12 can be an adhesive bonding layer, or it can be the type of interface 12 formed between a tissue paper sheet and a thin thermoplastic film, heat sealed together.

An adhesive layer can be spread as a thin layer on the surface 13 of the adsorptive section 4, or it can be spread on the interior surface 14 of the plastic film 11, the adhesive can then bond the absorptive section 4 to the film 11, applying heat if necessary to facilitate the bonding process. A pressure sensitive adhesive layer can used for this purpose. An impermeable plastic film 11 can be formed directly on a tissue paper sheet face 13, by extrusion-laminating of a thermoplastic such as polyethylene by known processes.

FIG. 3 illustrates in enlarged sectional detail, the construction of one modification of my menstrual fluid reservoir 9. The absorptive section 4 comprises multiple ply of tissue paper sheets, coplanaryl, adjacently laid together. One sub-group 15 of coplanar, multiple ply tissue paper sheets have the circular openings coaxially formed in the adjacent sheets. A second sub-group 16 of coplanar multiple ply tissue paper sheets do not have any openings therein. Collectively, the multiple, individual circular openings, coaxially aligned and having a bottom tissue paper sheet, form the reservoirs 9.

Typically, the multiple ply tissue paper sheets of sub- :group 15 can be 10 to 30 paper sheets, and sub-group 16 can be 5-15 sheets, and the numbers of paper sheets in each sub-group are adjusted to the required number for utility. The single paper sheets are preferably tissue paper stock, with or without wet-strength resin, and can range in paper weight from 0.010 to 0.020 gram/ sq. in. Typically the sheets are 9-10 lb. tissue paper stock, uncalendared or crimped. They may be colored and perfumed for feminine appeal.

In my earlier teaching of menstrual napkin, Ser. No. 720,500, the adhesive plug bonding means 12 and 12' of that application do not extend through the fluid impermeable plastic membrane 7. In the present teaching, I extend the adhesive plug bonding means 6 through the impermeable plastic film 11. I may also form the adhesive plug bonding means invention as in the earlier teaching.

Another modification of the menstrual fluid reservoir construction is shown in enlarged cross sectional detail in FIG. 4, being similar to and a modification of FIG. 3. The reservoir 20 is formed by a multiplicity of concentric circular openings in a multiplicity of tissue paper sheets 23, the openings being coaxially, adjacently aligned to form the reservoir 20. The reservoir 20 extends from the exterior surface 21 to the interface bond means 24, which secures the thin impermeable membrane plastic film 22 to the multiplicity of tissue paper sheets 23. There are no absorptive tissue paper sheets forming the reservoir 20 bottom or floor, as there as in FIGS. 1-3. If an adhesive layer bonds 22 and 23, the bond means 24 may physically exist at reservoir 20, if the adhesive is prior spread on the film 22 before forming bond means 24. Otherwise 24 may not exist at reservoir 20.

FIGS. 5a, 5b and 5c illustrate in planar view, from the type of surface 10 of a napkin 1 or the like, other typical geometrical shapes of the reservoir openings which can be formed in the napkin modifications. In FIG. 5a, the surface 50 corresponds to the surface 10 of napkin 1, and the typical reservoir 51 has a square shaped opening. In FIG. 5b, the surface 52 corresponds to surface 10 of napkin 1, and the reservoir 53 has a triangular shaped opening Likewise, in FIG 50, the reservoir 55 in the surface 54 is hexagonal shaped. Other geometrical shaped reservoir openings may be formed in the multiple ply of tissue paper sheets, as desired.

Typically the reservoir 9 of FIGS. 1-3 may range in plan diameter from A to /2 inch, and the reservoir may be spaced in a patterned array as needed to receive menstrual fluid as it flows from the vagina. The number of reservoir in the pattered array are those requiredto receive the flow of fluid without leaking, corresponding to the volume of fluid in a menstrual fluid gush which sometimes occurs.

FIGS. 6 and 7 together illustrate another modification of this napkin invention, wherein the primary absorptive section 60 of the napkin 61 has a multiplicity of reservoirs 63. The primary absorptive section 60 and the secondary absorptive section 62, together with the two adhesive plug bonding means 64, which secure the sections 60 and 62 together, are disclosed, taught and claimed in the earlier patent application, Ser. No. 720,500. The pair of oval slot shaped napkin securing openings65 pierce through all layers of the secondary absorptive section 62, as disclosed and taught in FIGS. 1 and 2 above, providing openings to which a sanitary belt of my invention, Ser. No. 720,502, may be secured. Dther sanitary belts may also be used to secure this napkin in a functional position. The cross sectional view thruogh 77 of FIG. 6 is shown in FIG. 7. The reservoirs 63 are shown in FIG. 7 to pierce completely through the primary absorptive section 60, and the secondary absorptive section 62 forms the bottom of the reservoirs 63. The interface bond means 66 secures the secondary absorptive section 62 to the menstrual fluid impermeable membrane 67.

FIG. 8 illustrates the advance in the menstrual napkin application art made by the napkin having a pair of mounting openings. The female torso is show in frontal view, having a sanitary napkin support belt 81 of applicants invention, Ser. No. 750,502. The waist belt 82 has two support straps secured thereto, a front support strap 83 passes through the front napkin slotted securing opening 84, and the strap 83 is folded upward, terminating at the support strap terminus 85. The pressure sensitive adhesive bonding means 86, located between the two opposed faces of the support strap 83 bond the strap faces together to form a supporting loop for the sanitary napkin 87. A similar rear support strap (not shown here), as illustrated in FIG. 4 of the earlier patent application, secures the rear tapered end of the sanitary napkin 87, passing through a second napkin slotted securing opening, as typified by one opening 65 of FIG. 6, or one opening 5 of FIGS. 1-2.

A pair of oval slotted shaped napkin securing means are one modification of this invention and the invention is not to be restricted to oval slotted shaped openings in the napkin. The napkin securing means can be a pair of any geometric shaped openings, circular, triangular, rectangular or of other required geometric figures permitting the passage of a napkin support strap of the copending application Ser. No. 720,502. Likewise the napkin securing openings can be adapted cooperatively in combination with other sanitary napkin support belt devices. Typically the oval slots disclosed in FIGS. 1, 2, 6 and 8 are approximately A inch wide x /2 inch long, as shown in the plan view of FIG. 1. Other suitable opening sizes may be selected. The pair of sanitary belt securing means can be utilized with my sanitary napkins disclosed and claimed in my US. patent application Ser. No. 675,556.

The menstrual napkins of this invention can be manufactured at high production speed on comparatively wide web paper processing machinery. As disclosed and claimed in my copending application Ser. No. 720,500, the obtuse diamond planar shaped area napkins disclosed in FIG. 1 of this invention are adapted to manufacturing simultaneously in multiple numbers. A sub-group of multiple ply tissue paper sheets corresponding to 15, typically 20 sheets, are continuously, coplanarly, adjacently laid together, in a web width suitable for forming 10-20 napkins wide, as in the configuration shown in FIG. 8 of copending application 720,500. The sub-group of sheets 15 are typically shear out completely through all sheets, in a plural set of patterned array forming a multiplicity of menstrual fluid reservoir 9 openings, or the like 5a, 5b, 5c and equivalent openings, one set for each potential napkin. A positive-die shear punch, combined with a vacuum applied to the shear punch die box, both assist in removal of all tissue paper sheets from the reservoirs 9 openings, or the like. A second sub-group of multiple ply, tissue paper sheets 16 typically 10 sheets, are continuously, coplanarly, adjacently laid together, in a web width equal to sub-group 15 above. An impermeable plastic film membrane 11, or the like, is also laid c0- adjacently together with sub-group 15. The three layers, sub-group 15, sub-group 16 and impermeable plastic film membrane 11, or the like, are then die cut in a registered position with respect to the plural set of patterned array of menstrual fluid reservoirs 9, or the like, centering one set of reservoirs 9 array in a planar, obtuse diamond shaped napkin. The openings for 5 and 6 are simultaneously formed, with the cutting of each napkin shape. The adhesive plug bonding means 6 are formed in a later step, by injecting a hot melt adhesive into the required openings.

The menstrual fluid reservoirs are defined within the scope of this invention as the coaxially aligned openings, of uniform geometrical shape, in a multiplicity of tissue paper sheets, having a reservoir bottom selected from tissue paper sheet and a thin, flexible, impermeable plastic film membrane. Typically, as shown in FIG. 1, the total volume of the 29 reservoir openings, having circular diameters of Mt inch x inch deep, corresponds to approximately 9 cu. cm. Thus, the collective reservoir openings, when properly functionally positioned, can receive a typical surge or gush of menstrual fluid without leaking, for the reservoirs will hold the fluid, allowing the fluid to be absorbed in the pulp of the surrounding tissue paper sheets.

Many modifications and variations of my improvements in reservoir menstrual sanitary napkins and process for their manufacture may be made within the light of my teachings. It is therefore understood that within the scope of the appended claim, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

I claim: 1. In a process for manufacturing menstrual napkins, the improvement comprising:

combining a first multiple ply of thin tissue paper sheets into a first subgroup coplanar adjacent layer;

coaxially cutting multiple axially concentric reservoir wall openings disposed in a patterned reservoir array in said first subgroup coplanar adjacent layer, to form a patterned reservoir opening first subgroup layer;

combining a second multiple ply of thin tissue paper sheets into a second subgroup coplanar adjacent layer;

combining said second subgroup coplanar adjacent layer with said reservoir opening first subgroup layer;

coaxially cutting aligning openings in said first subgroup layer and said second subgroup layer; and injecting a measured volume of hot melt adhesive into adhesive plug detent openings,

bonding said first and second subgroup layer together,

on cooling to ambient room temperature.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,677,249 7/ 1972 Kokx 128--290 3,441,023 4/1969 Rijssenbeek 128287 3,350,249 10/1967 Gregoire 156-92 DOUGLAS J. DRUMOND, Primary Examiner M. 'G. WITYSHYN, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

